Xxcha Kingdom
"To fight without cause is not the way, human. Curb your anger. Let us walk through the gardens and consider how to proceed." ''- Elder Qanoj Intro Slow to anger, and political by nature, many have mistaken the Xxcha's commitment to peace for weakness, only to uncover fierce warriors beneath the xxcha's tranquil veneer. A Peaceful People Even the oldest annals recognize the ancient kingdom of the reptilian Xxcha as the first of the great interstellar civilizations. Nestled in the middle of a wealthy section of space, the Xxcha twin planets of Archon Ren and Archon Tau lie bathed in the gentle light of the Xxlak star. While the Xxcha still call the two planets "twins”, an outsider will instantly notice that the grayish and shadowy Archon Tau in no way resembles the brilliant, healthy green of Archon Ren. Throughout the tenure of the lost Lazax Imperium, the Xxcha were the most peaceful, docile, and content of the major civilizations. They did not, unlike the other races, scheme for power and territory during the Age of Dusk. Unlike the Lazax, the Xxcha elders did see the growing threat to the galaxy. They fruitlessly sought to warn the Lazax of their peril, and struggled to bring dialogue to the increasing racial factionalism. A powerful Lazax councilor by the name of Ibna Vel Syd listened to the Xxcha warning, but even he could not sway the false sense of safety felt by the emperor. The Twilight Wars The wise and peaceful Xxcha mustered all their diplomatic energies to avoid to the outbreak of the Twilight Wars, but in the wake of pent-up aggression and ambition among the great races, their efforts proved tragically futile. Now, with the Quann Crisis causing destruction at the heart of the empire, the Xxcha looked towards the future, to a time when they can offer their counsel to a new galactic leader… or perhaps take the lead themselves. Domo Oolan was greatly saddened by the sudden sour turn of events. The short-sighted attack on Mecatol Rex threatened to undo not only his most important work, but the arduous preparations of his predecessors. Centuries of careful planning, subtle suggestion, wise guidance, and accumulated goodwill. All wasted, all forgotten. Bodiless casualties in the firestorm the short-lived races unleashed on this holy place of reason and communion. Instead, events inexorably slide toward that which the Xxcha so ardently sought to avoid: the interminable darkness and devastation of galaxy-wide civil war. The Xxcha, philosopher-warriors and master diplomats, long recognized the dangerous degradation of stability in the galaxy around them. In the center of this converging vortex sat the progressively flawed rule of the Lazax. The legendary energy and vision of the imperial race had, after nearly thirty millennia of rule, receded to a state of complacency governed by the blind arrogance of the entitled. Like a dying sun, the Lazax empire now burned a sullen, uncaring red; its waning heat belying the destructive nova it would set off in death. ''Ttepliren su Tteplitau. The ebb and the flow. As one, the Yystori. Ever true, ever moving. ''The Xxcha believe those with sufficient patience can in the ''Yystori hear the breathing of the universe itself. At its zenith lies glory and decline, at its nadir death and rebirth. The Xxcha teach it is not the task of mortals to still or to change the course of the Yystori, but rather it is the responsibility of all sentience to lessen the painful effects of its churning. As the Xxcha came to understand that the end of the Lazax empire was at hand, they began a tireless work towards its peaceful passing; to facilitate a rebirth that would transition the galaxy into its next Ttepliren, a new age. To this end, Xxcha diplomats subtly nudged the Lazax to cede powers to the Galactic Council while they preached patience and compromise to the galaxy's other disparate, and increasingly discontented powers. As the Age of Dusk, a time of deceit and selfishness, seethed around them, the Xxcha alone fought to deflect the growing spectre of all-out civil war that loomed ahead. As the nascent civil war raged across Mecatol Rex, Domo Oolan was determined not to let his people's Domorkan, its greatest task, fail. He told his brethren to resist the voice of savagery calling from the abyss, and instead redouble efforts of reconciliation and restraint. Even if the Xxcha must use their powerful arms and hardened bodies to soften the blows to the galaxy, it must be done. Even if the Xxcha should themselves be forced to don the mantle of the emperors, it must be done. For the greater good, it must be done. The Letnev Occupation The Quann crisis had erupted into sudden war, and while Mecatol Rex burned in battle the Letnev, led by the Baron Daz Arrokan I, moved towards the rich Xxcha system in conquest. The Xxcha, unprepared and weaponless, used their formidable powers of negotiation and goodwill, to broker an agreement in which they ceded only Archon Tau to the invaders, while the kingdom retained a Letnev-supervised autonomy on Archon Ren. The Xxcha, never fools, were aware of the nature of Letnev promises and the futility of the arrangement. The agreement would only last as long as the Barony was occupied in war elsewhere. In time, the Xxcha knew, the Letnev would return to claim the rest of their prize and enslave them. It was then, for the first time in their history, that the Xxcha started to create their weapons and train their armies. In secret deep groves and in hidden vales, the Xxcha king sadly watched his people develop into warriors. Less than a decade after the occupation of Archon Tau, the Letnev fleet suffered a stunning defeat against Sol in the Gral system. Only a few cycles after the battle, the Sol Phoenix fleet entered the Xxlak system and engaged the heavily fortified Letnev positions on Archon Tau. The ensuing bombardments and battles lasted for almost two years. In the end, the Letnev occupiers were defeated, but with a terrible toll. The ecology of Archon Tau had been shattered beyond recall. What was once a true twin to the green and fruitful Archon Ren was now a noxious, blackened crater. Its forests had burned. Ashes and scattered dust starting a planet-wide winter that lasted for a hundred years, killing most plant and animal life. Ttepliren, the New Era Now, recovered from the loss of Archon Tau, the Xxcha kingdom has prospered on the generous Archon Ren. Covered by mostly leafy forests, small inland oceans, and fruitful jungles, Archon Ren is rich in minerals, energy, foodstuffs, and water. The Xxcha civilization dwells in a myriad of arboreal villages and towns. The only true metropolis is the giant city of Kklaj, found on the planet’s southern hemisphere. Kklaj functions as the seat of the Xxcha King, whose extensive palace, entirely sculpted of Q’waar wood, and flower gardens, stretch for miles at the center of the city. The Xxcha are an inherently peaceful, slow, and thoughtful people. They hold their nobles and town elders in deep respect. A common pastime of Xxcha males and females alike is to debate meaning and origin while smoking gerr root on long-stemmed pipes. The jungles and lakes of Archon Ren are surprisingly free from the invasive insects that so often make forest and jungle planets unbearable. Although the Xxcha still believe in the doctrine of peace and negotiation, they will never again bend to foreign invasion. Travelers to the Xxlak system will often notice impressive sentinel Xxcha super-dreadnoughts and the distinctive Xxlun fighters in intense naval exercises. Although the typical Xxcha may seem slow and encumbered by a heavy reptilian bodily weight, when roused, the Xxcha are surprisingly strong and fast. The pale shadow of Archon Tau hangs like a scar in the Xxcha skies. The sight of it is the everlasting sorrow of the Xxcha, and the ever-present reminder of the cost of submission. The Xxcha will never allow such tragedy to befall them again. Ccrysus, the Xxcha King, knows that for the sake of a peaceful galaxy, the Xxcha must seek the Imperial Throne and be wise for all. Characters Ccrysus Domo Oolan Brothers Qquiar Ggrucoto Rinn Xxekir Grom Junn Qanoj Neekuaq RhelatCategory:Factions